Wagon-tongue



No. 627,078. Patented June l3, I899 J. M.-- HENDRICKS.

WAGON TDNGUE.

(Application filed Dec. 27, 1898.)

(No Model.)

nwuboz Jar/.5. 771. -lmdro'a is NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. HENDRICKS, OF TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS.

WAGONBTONGUE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,078, dated June 13, 1899.

' Application filed December 2'7, 1898. Serial No. 700,473. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JAMES M. HENDRICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Taylorville, in the county of Christian and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon Tongues; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a tongue for vehicles or the like which is designed more especially for use in connection with three horses, the object being to provide what may be termed a three-horse vehicletongue, which will be found very desirable for apportioning the load equally among the three horses, permitting two of them to stand upon either side and adjacent to the-tongue proper, while the third horse stands beside the animal immediately in front of the center of the vehicle, a suitable evener and the usual double and single trees being employed.

A further object of my. invention is to provide means for converting the three-horse evener into an ordinarywagon-tongue adapted for two horses.

The details of my invention and the advantages thereof will be fully set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan View of my threehorse wagon-tongue complete. Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof, showing the evener and the double and single trees removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a slightly-reduced scale from that shown in Fig. 2, illustrating my three-horse wagon-tongue converted into an ordinary wagon-tongue adapted for the use of two horses, while Fig. at is a perspective detail of the part necessary to convert the parts illustrated in Fig. 3 into the tongue adapted for the use of three horses.

The several parts of my invention will be designated by numerals, the numerals 1 and 2 indicating the forward ends of the usual hounds, between which the rear end 3 of the tongue is secured in any preferred way.

I prefer to terminate the section 3 imme diately beyond the endof the hounds and secure thereto, preferably by means of the dowel 4, the lateral extension 5, which. is provided at the opposite end with the mortise or recess 6, designed to receive a suitable dowel formed upon the rear end of the tongue proper, '7, said parts being secured together, as by the locking-bolt 8, while the dowel l is secured within the mortise 9, preferably by the stem of the wrench-bolt l0, usually employed to give the doubletrees to the tongue.

In order to prevent an undue wear upon the surface of the hole provided for the stem of the wrench-bolt, I prefer to provide the bushing 11, adapted to snugly fit said hole and to freely receive said stem. When the parts are assembled in their respective positions, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, I provide against undue longitudinal strain upon the parts by the brace 12, adapted to be connected, as by bolts, to the outer face of the hound 1, while its forward end is secured in any preferred way, as by bolts 13 and 14, while I provide against lateral strain upon the parts by the braces 15 and 16, the former being preferably integrally connected with the brace 12, both of said braces being secured, as by locking-bolts 17, the bolt 14 also being used to engage the brace 16, as clearly shown.

While I have shown the parts 3, 5, and '7 as being detachably secured together, I desire to reserve the right to secure them permanently together, thereby possibly increasing the rigidity thereof when in their operative positions.

When it is desired to convert the threehorse tongue into one suitable for the use of two horses, all that is necessary to be done is to remove the braces 12, 15, and 16 and the lateral extension 5,"when the doweled end of the tongue proper, 7, is inserted in the recess or mortise 9 of the forward end of the section 3 and there secured by placing the sustainingbraces 18 upon either sideand securing the same ,by locking-bolts 19, it being understood that the same apertures designed for the reception of bolts 13, 14:, and 17 may be used for the bolts 19, thereby rendering it unnecunnecessary number of holes.

It will be seen that I have provided a threehorsevehicle-tongue which constitutes within itself a complete two-horse vehicle-tongue, either one being readily convertible into the other.

While I have described the preferred construction to he followed for the various parts necessary to form my invention, I desire to comprehend any substantial equivalent thereof or such slight modifications as will reasonably fall within the scope of my invention, it being further understood, as above stated, that the parts 3, 5, and 7 may be permanently secured together and not adapted to be converted into the form of tongue illustrated in Having thus fully described the construction and use of myimproved vehicle-tongue, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In vehicles, a two-part tongue united by a mortise-joint, a cross-piece havinga tenon and a mortise fitting the separated ends of said tongue and means to strengthen and brace said parts, whereby a separated part of the tongue may be in operative condition out of the median line, all combined as set forth. 2. In vehicles, a two-part tongue united by a mortise-joint, a cross-piece provided with a tenon and a 1n ortise fitting the separated ends of said tongue, whereby a separated part of the tongue may be in operative condition out of the median line, and a longitudinalbrace connecting a hound, the cross-piece and the tongue, all combined as set forth.

i 3. In vehicles, a two-part tongue unitedby a mortise-joint, a cross-piece having a tenon and a mortise fitting the separated ends of the tongue, an angular brace connecting the separated tongue and a longitudinal brace attached to a hound, the cross-piece and the tongue out of the median line, all combined as set forth.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

his JAMES M. X HENDRICKS.

mark \Viinesses:

A. M. FOY, LEWIs C. ARMSTRONG. 

